City to celebrate 250th anniversary in Presidio Park

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SAN DIEGO — The city of San Diego will hold a public event Tuesday to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the city’s founding as a Spanish settlement.

The ceremony is part of the city’s yearlong 250th anniversary celebration, which will culminate in a two-day Founders’ Day Festival in September. As the city celebrates its birthday, city officials also hope to increase relations with the Kumeyaay Nation. Historians believe the Kumeyaay people have lived in what is now San Diego County for more than 10,000 years.

The event will celebrate the establishment of Mission San Diego de Alcala, the first Franciscan mission in what is now California, which opened July 16, 1769. The ceremony will feature cultural performances and the dedication of new historical exhibits in Presidio Park’s Junipero Serra Museum.

Local and state officials like San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Assemblyman Todd Gloria are expected to attend as well as the Consul Generals from Spain and Panama, delegations from San Diego’s sister cities Tijuana, Mexico, and Taichung City, Taiwan, and Kumeyaay representatives from Baja California.

The ceremony is expected to begin at 4:30 p.m. at the Junipero Serra Museum. To accommodate the increased presence in and around the park, Presidio Drive will be closed to vehicle traffic from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. from Jackson Street to Cosoy Way. The museum is located at 2727 Presidio Drive.